If you replace the word Hacker with Tinker, the answer might become clear. He reverse engineered the "real thing" and came up with a cheaper solution that met his needs. Think Unix to Linux.
Also, his actions embodied the LEAN startup principles: Fail Fast, Fail Often.
* He asked for feedback immediately. "He fashioned a sanitary pad out of cotton and gave it to Shanthi, demanding immediate feedback."
* When he didn't get feedback fast enough, "I can't wait a month for each feedback, it'll take two decades!" He got 20 more volunteers. But it still didn't quite work out. On the day he came to collect their feedback sheets he caught three of the girls industriously filling them all in. These results obviously could not be relied on. It was then that he decided to test the products on himself.
* Test Driven Development - He created a "uterus" from a football bladder by punching a couple of holes in it, and filling it with goat's blood.
Oh... my bad. The two sentences above the "Real hacker" statement were my favorite parts of the article. It has no relation to him being a hacker. Sorry for the confusion.
From another article in 2012:
"Women pack around six to eight towels in a packet and sell them for as little as 13 rupees (16p). On average, each woman earns the equivalent of £30 to £65 a month;"
You need clean water every time you empty this, which can be anything from every 2 hours to every 8. It's not really suitable when you are not sure if you are a) privacy and b) clean water. Pads should be biodegradable and tampons should ONLY use biodegradable plastic - that's the main issue these days. Same for men using disposable razors: if you won't use a straight blade, would you lobby for the plastic to be biodegradable?
Some I know of swear by the comfort and convenience of the cup. They all started with a lot of doubt and hesitation about how it would work, leaks, handling and cleaning it, etc. But once they got the knack of putting it, they claim it to be the best thing since <insert your favorite sliced bread equivalent here>. Plus, there are washable and reusable pads available that are (apparently) a lot more comfortable than disposable ones.
There are at least a few groups in India on more environment friendly and women friendly menstruation products, since the growth of commercial disposable pads is becoming a big environmental issue.
Here are a couple of factors I have noticed/heard of that may affect the adoption of cups. Like tampons, inserting a cup inside requires the woman to be familiar with anatomy and not being scared. The idea of putting something foreign may be tough for women who haven't had vaginal intercourse. With "virginity" still being a "virtue" in India, more so in rural places, women would be shocked if they were asked to use tampons or cups that one has to insert inside. Pads or even reusable/washable cloth pads are a lot easier to sell.
Not sure why you are putting down menstrual cup users. I use one and it really is great. I also told my sister about it and she got one too and likes it. I also use cloth pads on light days. Both beat disposables by a wide margin in comfort.
I swear by my menstrual cup. I know it's a niche product but I have no idea why, a possible explanation is that some people are uncomfortable with their body or perhaps they've never heard of it - I had never heard of it until I saw a mention of it on reddit in my mid-twenties. Cups have much higher capacity that pads / tampons, you can't feel them, they are clean, nothing irritates your skin, it's impossible to run out as you only need one and it lasts for up to a decade.
I don't know the con perspective, but I think it's important to point out, especially in the context of the article citing culture stigmas, the tampon was initially niche and the "original" invention first stalled.
Are menstrual cups socially acceptable in India? You need to be able to empty them and then wash them in a sink.
From the article:
> There are still many taboos around menstruation in India. Women can't visit temples or public places, they're not allowed to cook or touch the water supply - essentially they are considered untouchable.
That's partly true. Women visiting temples is a very old obsolete tradition which was before pads,etc for sanitary needs in the temple which needs to be scrapped off.
All the remaining taboos are mostly non-existent.No one I know off does them. It's possible there are cases but, really rare (1 of 500).
I had to clarify that because BBC takes liberties when trying to describe stuff from developing nations.
ha ha good question! Its still a taboo that is being followed by many villagers. A lot of societies keep women's rights at the lowest priority. So many people living in the cities often deny that these things exist whereas the majority in our country are actually rural and poor. The taboos are being very slowly weeded out at the moment. Needs a huge push from the govt for educating the people about it.
Carry around an extra cup, empty current one into a toilet and place in a bag in your purse to wash later at home. The only time I know a woman is menstruating here in the US is when they tell me.
Am I wrong or you are a western male that is speculating about issues of indian women? I think these problems are so far away from my (perhaps also yours?) understanding (gender + cultural gaps) that I could not suggest any solution. Especially after a couple of minutes thinking.
This guy spent years into finding a solution, almost lost all he had and improved lives of many (both from sanitary and economics points of view). And he didn't this because he wanted to create the next unicorn. He deserves all our esteem and he certainly has mine.
I'm not trying to downplay his contributions and tenacity. His work is truly impressive. I am an American male speculating. I think both his and my solutions are better than plugging oneself up with sawdust and leaves.
I wouldn't expect this man to know about these cups or women in rural India to have convenient access to not only the cups but also to plastic bags, clean water, and soap. For those who do, however, my solution is lasting, secretive, and feasible.
"Remember to empty and wash your DivaCup at least twice a day, a minimum of every 12 hours.
If you are unable to wash The DivaCup after removal (for instance when using a public restroom), wash your hands thoroughly before entering the stall, empty the contents in the toilet and simply use a dry or damp tissue to clean the cup. At the next convenient time, clean as per the above instructions."
As far as how it would work in rural India, dunno, as long as you have regular access to soap and portable water.
